In honor of Lag BaOmer, we turn our attention to the Ein Hayam neighborhood, where a neighborhood synagogue with a unique roof stands at 7 HaHagha Street.
Ein Hayam neighborhood
Ein Hayam is a small, old neighborhood between Kiryat Sprinzak and Kiryat Eliezer. Most of its houses are separated from the sea to the west by the railway and the Haifa-Tel Aviv Highway (No. 2).
The neighborhood was established in the 30s by Arab families, most of them from the middle and upper classes. Its original name was “Wadi al-Jamal.” This name has two meanings: the first meaning is “Wadi al-Gamal” (Jamal), through which camel caravans passed on their way to Jaffa, or the second meaning is “Wadi al-Hifa,” as a result of the corruption of the name “Jamal” into “Jamil” (beautiful). The first families to establish the neighborhood were Christian families who purchased the land from the Carmelite Church. From this period, houses designed in the International Style remain that are worthy of preservation.
After the establishment of the state, during the years of absorbing mass immigration, railway housing estates were built in Ein Hayam, and at the end of the 20th century, 4-5 story buildings were also built. Today, Jews (religious and secular), who make up about 40%, and Arabs (Christians and Muslims), who make up about 60% of the neighborhood's residents, live in coexistence in the neighborhood.
On the waterfront of the neighborhood is the "Institute for the Study of Seas and Lakes." This is the presumed location where the town existed in ancient times. ShakmonaDuring excavations at the site, a structure dating to the Byzantine and early Islamic periods was found, known as "Khirbet Tanani." The remains of snails used to produce the purple dye were uncovered.
Synagogue building
The building was built in the 60s according to plans by religious architect Yeshayahu Ilan. A temporary hall was planned on the ground floor, while the prayer hall was on the floor above, including a women's restroom.
The building is designed as a cube raised from the ground, with the roof of the building formed by the interweaving of four pairs of concrete wings that float above the sealed walls. The wings are detached from the walls and are supported only at their center. The tall windows that separate the wings from the walls of the prayer hall enhance the feeling of the roof floating. The body of the cube structure has a rough plaster finish, while the roof is exposed concrete.
This synagogue represents a trend that characterized the 60s in which various architects attempted to give a new formal interpretation to the roof element, as it separates or mediates between the worshiper and the one who resides above. Synagogues that presented this design trend include, for example, the central synagogue of Nof HaGalil (Professor Zolotov), the synagogue of the Technion (Professor Aharon Kashtan) and the university synagogue in Givat Ram, Jerusalem (Professor David Reznik).
Architect Yeshayahu Ilan
Yeshayahu Ilan (1931-1999) was born in Austria and immigrated to Israel with his family when he was 4 years old (1935). Between 1952 and 1960, he studied architecture at the Technion for his bachelor's and master's degrees, graduating with honors.
He lived in Jerusalem, in the Old City. He specialized in "religious" architecture (synagogues, yeshivots) but also worked in "secular" architecture such as educational institutions, cultural centers, residences, and projects for the Ministry of Defense.
In addition to the synagogue in Ein Hayam, his works in Haifa and the surrounding area include: the "Elijah the Prophet" synagogue in Ahuza (1964), the Tel Hanan synagogue, the Romma synagogue, the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine building (together with Rev. Aryeh Freiberger), and more. Rev. Y. Ilan won many planning competitions, mainly for religious institutions, and also published philosophical works that discussed issues of religious architecture.
Epilogue
Later, additions were added to the synagogue building that made it part of a sprawling religious complex that includes 3 mikvahs (for women, men, and vessels), a yeshiva ("Hachaim LeDavid") with sleeping quarters for the Abrahim, and a midrash for Torah study. The original women's wing was also divided into study rooms. These additional functions required building additions around and below the original structure. The prayer hall is lavishly decorated with various types of decorations.
The external additions and numerous decorations are foreign to the spirit of the original design by Adar Y. Ilan, who emphasized the contrast between the interior and exterior simplicity of the cube (prayer hall) and the "prayer wing"-like roof that hovers above.
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As someone who has lived in Ein Hayam for over a decade and has known the residents who live there since childhood, there were more Moroccans there than Arabs. Most of the neighborhood was Moroccan. Over the years, the children grew up and moved to other neighborhoods, and the remaining adults slowly dispersed and only a few remained. If it weren't for the yeshiva and the synagogue, there would be no scent of Israel or Judaism in this place. They are occupying with taboo and without wars. Thank God that there are holy places and hysteria that save us from these kinds of occupiers. The Holy Light of Life writes 250 years ago that he was in Kippur in the cave of Elijah the Prophet and then slept in Wadi Gemel. The fact that there was an Aravach there is true, but there were Jews in it!!. There are other sources besides Wikipedia, sir. Please! Not giving them a seal of approval for the place brings many conflicts. It turns them on when you talk about land. A little thought wouldn't hurt.
Thank you for your response, see my reply to the bird.
Why were they the first?
The one who established the neighborhood is the state and those immigrants in the various aliyahs. Why give credit to everyone who, in one generation or another, built a house or building on the land? Was it done legally? Not to mention the ancient and primary right to this land.
Either they deal only with the architecture of the building or they also deal with the history of the Land of Israel and record it in a fair historical manner.
Zipporah, why are you wondering? They immigrated to Israel out of ideology back in eighteen hundred and even before that, my family has been here since before 1800. Her father was born here and she was born in 1809.
Enough telling stories. People probably brought facts from the field and not just stories.
Zippora, thank you for your response, but the historical truth as documented in various sources indicates that Ein Hayam began construction in the 30s, during the British Mandate. This fact should not disturb those who believe in the historical right to Israel… To complete the historical picture, the Arad El Yehud neighborhood was founded at the end of the 19th century, while the Bat Galim, Hadar, and Neve Sha’anan neighborhoods were founded in the 20s. Shabbat Shalom!